Should I force myself to eat when I have no hunger pains?

Pande

Well... I don't have a big appetite. I really only eat when I'm upset or bored.

Should I force myself to eat even when I don't feel hungry?

concordancia

If you are waiting until you have hunger pains, you are probably waiting too long!

One of the benefits of mini meals is that the pattern helps most people get in tune with their bodies. Those of us who are overweight stopped listening to our bodies at some point and started eating for other reasons (which you have identified - way to go!). I can say "You should eat when you are hungry," but if you are on this site, and especially using phrases like "hunger pains," I don't trust that you know the subtle signs of being hungry, so my advise is to eat regularly.

fitniknik

You could already be in starvation mode. If you have not eaten enough for long enough the hunger pains go away because your body decided they were a waste of energy!

Melinda1987

Yes you should - but not much. Eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism in high gear and your blood sugar balanced. However this doesn't mean you have a 3 course meal. An apple & some string cheese here. A sandwich there. On an average day you really won't even have a "meal" as it's typically thought of in America (i.e. a main course with 2 side dishes and perhaps dessert). It's been a real eye-opener for me!!

Perfectlycrooked

I pretty much eat on a schedual now. I never feel hungry, literally :P
I say if it's been a little too long without eating, eat something small.
Baby carrots, apple slices, a piece of toast. Then if you're hungry, you'll start to feel it after that :P

Jorra

Like others have said, the "eat when you're hungry" advice assumes that you are able to know when you're actually needing food. I also would suggest eating small portions throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism from slowing down and packing on weight.

milaxx

Well... I don't have a big appetite. I really only eat when I'm upset or bored.

Should I force myself to eat even when I don't feel hungry?

Yes get yourself on an eating schedule. Think of hunger pains as the smoke detector and your body is the pan on a fire. You know when it getting too hot but by the time the alarm sounds you are in the danger zone where you have likely burned your pans and could potentially set a kitchen fire. You don;t want to get in the danger zone.

lclarkjr

It's the same with drinking water, if you wait until you are thirsty, you are waiting too long! You need to understand what your body needs to run smoothly and not wait until it is screaming at you to supply it.

@milaxx - I like your smoke detecter analogy and your use of the term "danger zone".

kellyscomeback

You should get a schedule of when to eat. I eat every 3 hrs as outlined below:

Yes you should - but not much. Eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism in high gear and your blood sugar balanced. However this doesn't mean you have a 3 course meal. An apple & some string cheese here. A sandwich there. On an average day you really won't even have a "meal" as it's typically thought of in America (i.e. a main course with 2 side dishes and perhaps dessert). It's been a real eye-opener for me!!

I have breakfast around 7a, then a high protein snack around 9:30-10a (workout recovery), lunch at 12, snack around 2:30 and dinner around 5:30. Then if I'm hungry later I have a small snack, nuts or cheese. Plus drink lots of water, my appetite has really gone down since I started drinking 3-4 liters (about 100 ounces) of water a day.

pyro13g

It's the same with drinking water, if you wait until you are thirsty, you are waiting too long! You need to understand what your body needs to run smoothly and not wait until it is screaming at you to supply it.

@milaxx - I like your smoke detecter analogy and your use of the term "danger zone".

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

kellyscomeback

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

I've started planning my meals based around how many calories I have left or want to have left. Plus I keep a water bottle next to me and I find myself drinking a lot more water than I was a month ago.

PoleBoy

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any other creature on the planet deliberately staving themselves for aesthetic reasons? Do you see them wasting time and energy on pointless repetitive activity to build pointless bulky muscle?

pyro13g

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any other creature on the planet deliberately staving themselves for aesthetic reasons? Do you see them wasting time and energy on pointless repetitive activity to build pointless bulky muscle?

You're comparing apples to oranges. Losing weight and preventing muscle wasting, building muscle, increasing endurance, etc.. all require specific protocols to be accomplished. Every human could benefit from the natural cycle of feast and famine. Your body, when short on hydration, will make you thirsty. It will also release anti-diuretics to conserve body water. When hungry it will send you to the fridge, fast food joint, grocery, or out on your two feet to forage for food in the wild.

concordancia

It's the same with drinking water, if you wait until you are thirsty, you are waiting too long! You need to understand what your body needs to run smoothly and not wait until it is screaming at you to supply it.

@milaxx - I like your smoke detecter analogy and your use of the term "danger zone".

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any non domesticated animals that have to worry about being overweight? Many humans have to plan it because they are distracting themselves so much that they don't hear the subtle signs their bodies send and wait until their body is screaming at them.

abalicious

Generally I eat 5 smalls meals per day, aka breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Even when it comes time for that snack or meal, I still eat it because I won't be having hunger pains but I know if I go too long without food I will overeat. You shouldn't be waiting for hunger pains, that means you've waited too long. I would suggest spacing meals and snacks at even intervals of time.

pyro13g

It's the same with drinking water, if you wait until you are thirsty, you are waiting too long! You need to understand what your body needs to run smoothly and not wait until it is screaming at you to supply it.

@milaxx - I like your smoke detecter analogy and your use of the term "danger zone".

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any non domesticated animals that have to worry about being overweight? Many humans have to plan it because they are distracting themselves so much that they don't hear the subtle signs their bodies send and wait until their body is screaming at them.

They plan it because some quack said they should. Who domesticated humans? "Do you see any non domesticated animals that have to worry about being overweight?" Nope and humans should take note of it.

psuLemon

Think of it like this, you train your muscles to get stronger and your brain to get smarter, so you need to train your stomach to eat your calories. Food is fuel. Plain and simple. If you don't eat, your body shuts down. My wife used to hate breakfast, but when I got her on schedule she couldn't go without it.

milaxx

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any other creature on the planet deliberately staving themselves for aesthetic reasons? Do you see them wasting time and energy on pointless repetitive activity to build pointless bulky muscle?

You're comparing apples to oranges. Losing weight and preventing muscle wasting, building muscle, increasing endurance, etc.. all require specific protocols to be accomplished. Every human could benefit from the natural cycle of feast and famine. Your body, when short on hydration, will make you thirsty. It will also release anti-diuretics to conserve body water. When hungry it will send you to the fridge, fast food joint, grocery, or out on your two feet to forage for food in the wild.

You assume we are in tune enough with out bodies to read the smaller signals of food. We aren't which is why many of us have weight problems. The point of getting you body on schedule is t get it used to feeding at regular interval. I was one of those people who honestly could go all day without eating and never get a hunger pain. Sometime I got headaches, but I never realized that as the first stage of huger. Sometimes I didn't get hungry or get a headache, but I had low energy. These are all indicators are inadequate nutrition. The point many of us are trying to make to the OP is to eat consistently, not starve and binge. Actual hunger pains are your body's last ditch resort to let you know to feed it.

crisanderson27

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any other creature on the planet deliberately staving themselves for aesthetic reasons? Do you see them wasting time and energy on pointless repetitive activity to build pointless bulky muscle?

You're comparing apples to oranges. Losing weight and preventing muscle wasting, building muscle, increasing endurance, etc.. all require specific protocols to be accomplished. Every human could benefit from the natural cycle of feast and famine. Your body, when short on hydration, will make you thirsty. It will also release anti-diuretics to conserve body water. When hungry it will send you to the fridge, fast food joint, grocery, or out on your two feet to forage for food in the wild.

You assume we are in tune enough with out bodies to read the smaller signals of food. We aren't which is why many of us have weight problems. The point of getting you body on schedule is t get it used to feeding at regular interval. I was one of those people who honestly could go all day without eating and never get a hunger pain. Sometime I got headaches, but I never realized that as the first stage of huger. Sometimes I didn't get hungry or get a headache, but I had low energy. These are all indicators are inadequate nutrition. The point many of us are trying to make to the OP is to eat consistently, not starve and binge. Actual hunger pains are your body's last ditch resort to let you know to feed it.

Thank you.

We as humans have bashed most of our instincts right out of our head. If it wasn't for modern technology and being taught what to do by our parents who were taught by theirs...we'd be freaking extinct.

There's REASONS people are obese...and there's REASONS animals left in the wild, aren't. They INSTINCTIVELY know when to eat...most of the people on this forum...don't. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'to lose weight, follow a skinny person around and eat what they eat'? That's an obvious implication that we, as overweight people...don't know WHAT to eat to properly fuel our bodies.

It's mostly true, too.

Cris

pyro13g

Rubbish! Do you see any other creature on this planet planning their water and food intake? Nope, and humans don't need to do it either.

Do you see any other creature on the planet deliberately staving themselves for aesthetic reasons? Do you see them wasting time and energy on pointless repetitive activity to build pointless bulky muscle?

You're comparing apples to oranges. Losing weight and preventing muscle wasting, building muscle, increasing endurance, etc.. all require specific protocols to be accomplished. Every human could benefit from the natural cycle of feast and famine. Your body, when short on hydration, will make you thirsty. It will also release anti-diuretics to conserve body water. When hungry it will send you to the fridge, fast food joint, grocery, or out on your two feet to forage for food in the wild.

You assume we are in tune enough with out bodies to read the smaller signals of food. We aren't which is why many of us have weight problems. The point of getting you body on schedule is t get it used to feeding at regular interval. I was one of those people who honestly could go all day without eating and never get a hunger pain. Sometime I got headaches, but I never realized that as the first stage of huger. Sometimes I didn't get hungry or get a headache, but I had low energy. These are all indicators are inadequate nutrition. The point many of us are trying to make to the OP is to eat consistently, not starve and binge. Actual hunger pains are your body's last ditch resort to let you know to feed it.

Thank you.

We as humans have bashed most of our instincts right out of our head. If it wasn't for modern technology and being taught what to do by our parents who were taught by theirs...we'd be freaking extinct.

There's REASONS people are obese...and there's REASONS animals left in the wild, aren't. They INSTINCTIVELY know when to eat...most of the people on this forum...don't. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'to lose weight, follow a skinny person around and eat what they eat'? That's an obvious implication that we, as overweight people...don't know WHAT to eat to properly fuel our bodies.

It's mostly true, too.

Cris

Humans have not bashed most instincts out of their heads. That's absurb! Ever see a wild animal learn from it's parents? Parents teaching is a form of instinct. Do you just let your hand rest on that red hot stove? Do you startled at unexpected noise? Do you raise a guard if something comes flying at your head?

Humans know it instinctively too. that's what thirst and hunger is for gosh sake. You can put any human in a room with some food and water, they will figure out when to eat and drink.

Obese people, barring a medical condition like low thyroid function choose their food and eat it in quantities that make them obese. Do you see doughnuts, cookies, fast food, gravy, pop, tubs of sugar, flour, and all this crap out in the wild? Nope, so let me make it easy. Don't eat it or drink it.

And I see a lot over weight people fooling themselves. "I'm an emotional eater", "I'm suffering from depression, anxiety, etc". "i don't want to give up XYZ" " I eat when I'm bored" "I Lost my instincts as a human " and then put too much blame on food when they really need to work on their personal problems that contribute to getting relief through food as much as watching how much they eat and working out.

Do you know what "Compulsive use that causes harm" is the definition of? Addiction!

Excuses, excuses, excuses, YAWN!

psuLemon

^I really agree with pryo. People do this to themselves. A hear a lot of people complain that genetics made them fat. Genetics don't make you fat, bad food does. Genetics controls bone structure and even muscle structure. Anyone can be in a healthy body weight and have good body composition.